Bhawanipatna: A senior clerk of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Division in Bhawanipatna of Kalahandi district was caught red-handed by vigilance sleuths Thursday while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a retired employee. The accused, identified as T Venkatagiri Rao, was allegedly demanding the amount to process pension-related documents for a retired staff member of the same office. According to Vigilance officials, the complainant had retired March 31, 2024, and was repeatedly requesting Rao to process his pension file. Despite several reminders, the clerk allegedly delayed the work and insisted on a bribe to move the file forward.
Following the complaint, the Vigilance department laid a trap and caught Rao while he was accepting the bribe at his government quarters. On seeing the Vigilance team, Rao reportedly attempted to throw the tainted currency notes out of the window, but he was caught in the act. After his arrest, simultaneous raids were conducted at his office and residences in Bolangir and Berhampur. The Vigilance department has registered a case (34/2025) and forwarded the accused to court. Authorities said further investigation is underway to ascertain whether Rao possesses assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Orissa POST- Odisha’s No.1 Trusted English Daily
